If there is a certain tendency in logistics to outsource a part, especially the final part of the supply chain, Fedex has chosen to go against the tide. Thus, on the eve of the strike called by the trade unions (March 30) for the renewal of the national collective bargaining agreement, the company announced an investment and development plan. The investments include the direct hiring of about 800 workers assigned to the parcel sorting service in the national hubs of Padua, Ancona, Bari, Bologna, Fiano Romano, Florence and Naples Teverola. The project tells the «growth prospects in the e-commerce and digital market – explains Stefania Pezzetti, chairman of the Board of Directors of FedEx Express Italia -. It includes direct hires but also an important real estate development project for a new large hub in Novara which will be operational towards the end of 2022. However, the aim is to prepare for growth: this is also an important development of FedEx’s strategy in Italy ».
Today the sorting activity is carried out by suppliers outside the FedEx organization, according to a very common practice in the sector. This change takes place in a period of great economic uncertainty in Italy and gives a measure of FedEx’s confidence in the Italian market but also its ambition to provide a reliable, competitive and agile service, able to respond quickly to market requests and trends. . «We want to grow in Italy and guarantee a service of ever higher quality. This is why we have decided to reorganize the network structure: one of the existing hubs, that of Piacenza, no longer plays a central role in distribution activities and will therefore cease to operate. The activities that weighed on that hub will be redistributed on the other 7 existing today and from 2022 also on Novara ”, says Pezzetti. From the employment point of view, the termination of the activity will not have repercussions on the company’s personnel. As for the supplier, for which 300 people work, FedEx has started a dialogue to understand the employment impacts on its employees and the measures to reduce or mitigate them. “We will offer support in every action that will serve in the management of the termination of the activity – says Pezzetti -, but the re-engineering of the network in Italy is essential to guarantee a reliable service to customers and to create a work environment that inspires our collaborators. throughout the country trust and desire for growth “. The basic strategy of FedEx is «to carry out initiatives at the level of the business model to have the highest quality of service – underlines Pezzetti -. Direct hiring of staff in our hubs goes in this direction. In a market oriented to outsourcing, we want to change the rules of the game and therefore modify this business model ». Furthermore, “direct hiring is an advantage for workers because being part of a large organization like Fedex can bring great benefits to the people who work in the warehouses. It guarantees greater safety, stability, training and the possibility of providing a better service to the end customer. It also gives the opportunity to be included in a career path: in our organization there are many examples of people who started off as warehouse employees who currently have important managerial positions ».
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